’Twas the night before Christmas... and Santa’s pipe had gone missing

A publisher has been caught in a censorship row after she reproduced the poem
A Visit from St Nicholas — better known by its first line 'Twas the night
before Christmas — without references to Santa smoking.

'I just really don’t think Santa should be smoking in the 21st century,' she said. Photo: ALAMY

The poem, attributed to Clement C Moore, includes the line “The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth / And the smoke, it encircled his head like a wreath”. It is often accompanied by a picture of Santa Claus smoking a pipe.

Pamela McColl, a publisher and anti-smoking campaigner, has published a new version of the poem which omitted the lines and is illustrated with images of a smoke-free Santa.

“I just really don’t think Santa should be smoking in the 21st century,” she said.

Ms McColl, who campaigns against the use of smoking in the film industry, came up with the project after seeing images of Santa smoking in children’s books. She said that the images were exposing children to smoking and added: “Santa is the most powerful character in the world…I thought this was a great project.

“The omission of these few words do not change the material intent of the author nor do they infringe on the reader’s understanding or enjoyment of this historically-rich story, but by removing these words we may save lives and avoid influencing new smokers.”

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But her project has attracted widespread criticism by groups who have accused of her censorship and political correctness.

The American Library Association said the changes were "an act of censorship that denies the audience access to the author's authentic voice".

The National Coalition Against Censorship, added that "putting children in an insulation bubble, hoping to protect them from anything their parents may deem harmful, is not only impossible, it is unproductive."

Asked about the criticisms by the Daily Telegraph, Ms McColl said “I’ve been called a fascist and a Nazi and every other name in the book. It is not censorship, it is editing.

“I think that the importance of this issue is so overriding that we need to do this. I don’t think it is politically correct when adults stand up and take responsibility for children. We need to do that.”

Ms McColl’s version of the book, which costs $16.95 (£10.50), has been printed in English, French and Spanish.

More than 50,000 copies of the book have been printed and it is stocked in major book stores, but Ms McColl was unable to say how many had been sold since its release in September.

Despite taking issue with Santa's smoking habit, the book does not comment on Santa's weight. The poem includes the line: "He had a broad face and a little round belly / That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly"

Explaining her decision to keep that line, Ms McColl told the LA Times: “He doesn’t eat in the story. That’s not my issue. That's Jamie Oliver and other people’s issue.”